At his blog Strategic Legal Technology, Ron Friedmann puts up his periscope and sees a battle brewing between e-discovery vendors and large law firms.
Several large law firms are establishing EDD consulting services. This means that firms and vendors may find themselves competitors for EDD clients. Friedmann asks: Which should clients choose?

Clients should consider carefully who offers the better set of skills and experiences. BigLaw brands may offer comfort, but some vendors have hired experienced lawyers and may offer the better bundle of skills and experiences.

EDD vendors risk competing against large law firm customers. Were I on the BigLaw buy side, I would not give my EDD business to vendors competing for the same consulting dollars.

Larger firms, on the other hand, may suffer from their own caste system that keeps them from listing nonlawyer tech experts on EDD practice pages, Friedmann predicts.

This lacuna could hurt marketing: as a client, I’d want to know about who is on my team. Furthermore, the caste system takes more than just a psychic toll; it can reduce effectiveness by hampering teamwork. Inhouse counsel often buy into the caste mentality but that is balanced by greater awareness of the importance of team work.

Friedmann says he cannot predict who will win the battle of the EDD consultants. Still, he notes, "it will be interesting to watch the emerging competition."

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A Brewing E-Discovery Battle?

At his blog Strategic Legal Technology, Ron Friedmann puts up his periscope and sees a battle brewing between e-discovery vendors and large law firms.
Several large law firms are establishing EDD consulting services. This means that firms and vendors may find themselves competitors for EDD clients. Friedmann asks: Which should clients choose?

Clients should consider carefully who offers the better set of skills and experiences. BigLaw brands may offer comfort, but some vendors have hired experienced lawyers and may offer the better bundle of skills and experiences.

EDD vendors risk competing against large law firm customers. Were I on the BigLaw buy side, I would not give my EDD business to vendors competing for the same consulting dollars.

Larger firms, on the other hand, may suffer from their own caste system that keeps them from listing nonlawyer tech experts on EDD practice pages, Friedmann predicts.

This lacuna could hurt marketing: as a client, I’d want to know about who is on my team. Furthermore, the caste system takes more than just a psychic toll; it can reduce effectiveness by hampering teamwork. Inhouse counsel often buy into the caste mentality but that is balanced by greater awareness of the importance of team work.

Friedmann says he cannot predict who will win the battle of the EDD consultants. Still, he notes, "it will be interesting to watch the emerging competition."